Abstract [en]

The Swedish forestry industry has since the beginning of the mechanization in the 1950´s had a technology development that streamlined the industry and reduced costs. The role of lumberjacks has changed a lot since hand tools were replaced by high-tech forestry machines. Previous studies indicate that the profession suffers from a poor working environment and poor organizational governance, in terms of lack work management, working hours and high demands and stress levels. This has led forest machine operators choosing to quit their jobs. The purpose of the study was to identify key factors that motivate forest machine operators and how their attitude is to monetary rewards. The survey was carried out as a survey study at the forest industry company SCA, where a questionnaire on motivation factors was sent to all forest machine operators. Swedish Cellulose is one of Sweden´s largest forest companies and Europe´s largest private forest owner. 48 machine operators responded to the questionnaire, the number of respondents to the whole brand was small, but a total survey for SCA. For a more generalizable result at brand level, more respondents had been desirable. Most of all work task and colleagues motivates the forest machine operators. Their motivation is disturbed by the lack of career opportunities and the lack of opportunities to influence decisions. The forest machine operators would get more motivation through more varied tasks and they think the most important thing about their work is to develop and become more professionally skilled. Performance-based monetary rewards motivate forest machine operators. Additional pay motivates them more than other forms of rewards, and they positively endorse the performance-based payroll system that exists at SCA today. Suggestions to needed measures to make forest machine operators motivated are more feedback from the leadership as well as involving the machine operators in decisions that are made. Communication between the leadership and machine operators needs to be improved to increase job satisfaction and maintain the motivation of employees. In order to increase their motivation, their work and duties need to vary more than they do today. What the responds consider would increase the variation in their work is unclear, and needs to be explored more closely.